New Media As Petty As Old Media

That Buzzfeed’s Ben Smith can’t use his own name at his new job, due to his “exit agreement” with his last employer, Politico, is hysterical. Get a grip! Also making the rounds: digital media jobs in “journalism” that require a drug test. How crazy are these people? (But yes, if you want to work at Gannett or NBC or what have you, be prepared to be degraded and give up your rights.) Drug-testing is maybe — maybe! — for people who operate forklifts or drive trucks, so they don’t kill us all while baked. Even then, though…. Well, drug-testing is a real bad look for organizations that want independent, American-minded employees. Anyway, even pettier is that Politico won’t link to Buzzfeed in his bio on their site, for his weekly columns. GOOD STUFF.